WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16: PROHIBITION

Profile America — Wednesday, January 16th.  There have been 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution over the past 222 years, but that total comes with an asterisk.  Uniquely, the 21st Amendment repeals the 18th, which began its short career this day in 1919.  That amendment launched the Prohibition Era, a well intentioned act (of social hygiene) seeking to ban the availability of alcoholic beverages.  The unintended consequences, though, were perhaps worse — vast flouting of the law by the public and a boost to organized crime.  Prohibition was repealed in December 1933.  In the no-longer-dry U.S., there are over 31,000 beer, wine and liquor stores, with annual sales over $36 billion.  You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.  

Sources:  2007 Economic Census, NAICS 445310

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau